KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 36 team, 88 individuals in the championship field has been announced for the 42nd Annual NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Championship that will be held on November 19. The event will take place in Vancouver, Wash.
The Cascade Collegiate Conference – which hosts the 2021 Championship Meet – saw five teams qualify for the event, along with three individuals. Multnomah University picked up the host berth, while No. 6-ranked College of Idaho secured the automatic qualifier after winning the CCC Championship last week. Lewis-Clark State College (which is receiving votes in the latest national poll), No. 23-ranked Oregon Tech, and No. 13 Southern Oregon University all earned at-large berths.
Bushnell University’s Rebecca Kuskie, Northwest University’s Ellie Summers, and Eastern Oregon University’s Michelle Herbes qualified as individuals.
Meet Notes
- This is the sixth year that the championship will be hosted in Vancouver, Wash., at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Championship Course. The Cascade Collegiate Conference serves as the host for the national championship.
- The field is made up of 20 automatic qualifiers, one host berth and 15 at-large berths. For a conference to earn their automatic berth six teams must finish the conference meet with five runners or, in the case of two berths, 12 teams must finish the conference meet with five runners. The second automatic qualifier must also be ranked in the top 30 in the final poll to be awarded automatic qualification.
- Multnomah (Wash.) received the host berth.
- In addition to the team qualifiers and at-large bids, 88 athletes will compete as individual qualifiers.
- The race will be broadcast for the second time this year on the NAIA Network. To access the live video stream and purchase a pass CLICK HERE
2021 Women’s Cross Country Team Qualifiers
| School |
Qualification Method |
| Aquinas (Mich.) |
At-large |
| Benedictine (Kan.) |
Heart of America Athletic Conference Champion |
| Carroll (Mont.) |
Frontier Conference Champion |
| College of Idaho |
Cascade Collegiate Conference Champion |
| Columbia (Mo.) |
American Midwest Conference Champion |
| Cornerstone (Mich.) |
Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Champion |
| Cumberlands (Ky.) |
Mid-South Conference Champion |
| Dalton State (Ga.) |
Southern States Athletic Conference Champion |
| Dickinson State (N.D.) |
North Star Conference Champion |
| Dordt (Iowa) |
Great Plains Athletic Conference Champion |
| Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) |
California Pacific Conference Champion |
| Grace (Ind.) |
At-large |
| Hastings (Neb.) |
Great Plains Athletic Conference Runner-Up |
| Huntington (Ind.) |
At-large |
| Indiana Tech |
At-large |
| Indiana Wesleyan |
At-large |
| Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
At-large |
| Milligan (Tenn.) |
Appalachian Athletic Conference Champion |
| Montana Tech |
At-large |
| Montreat (S.C.) |
Appalachian Athletic Conference Runner-Up |
| Multnomah (Wash.) |
Host |
| Oklahoma City |
Sooner Athletic Conference Champion |
| Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
At-large |
| Oregon Tech |
At-large |
| Rocky Mountain (Mont.) |
At-large |
| SCAD Savannah (Ga.) |
The Sun Conference Champion |
| Southern Oregon |
At-large |
| St. Francis (Ill.) |
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Champion |
| St. Francis (Ind.) |
At-large |
| St. Mary (Kan.) |
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Champion |
| St. Mary-of-the-Woods (Ind.) |
River States Conference Champion |
| Taylor (Ind.) |
Crossroads League Champion |
| The Master's (Calif.) |
Golden State Athletic Conference Champion |
| Vanguard (Calif.) |
At-large |
| Westmont (Calif.) |
At-large |
| William Woods (Mo.) |
At-large |